Movement dampers of various types are known in a variety of assemblies and applications to control the movement of assembly components. For example, movement dampers are known for controlling the movement in at least one direction of a drawer or door in furniture, cabinets and appliances. In the automotive field it is known to use dampers on glove box and counsel doors as well as other doors and closures for bins, storage areas and the like.
In some situations, damping control is required only in one direction. So-called one-way dampers provide damping resistance when operated in one direction, but provide little or no damping resistance when operated in another direction.
Various types of rotary dampers are known for the above purposes, including for use as one-way dampers. A known design for rotary one-way dampers includes a housing and a rotor rotatable in the housing, with a shaft from the rotor extending outwardly of the housing for receiving a gear thereon to engage a gear on the device being controlled. In some rotary dampers of this type, a viscous fluid is provided in a sealed housing, and damping performance is provided by resistance of the fluid to rotation of the rotor within the housing. Various rotor configurations as well as housing configurations are used for porting the fluid in the housing to control the damping performance.
It also is known to use mechanical resistance in the housing without the use of damping fluid. Mechanical one-way dampers have been complex, often requiring springs and numerous parts to selectively engage or disengage cooperating components of the damper system. Such structures add complexity and cost to the overall assembly.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a relatively simple rotary damper that automatically provides damping performance when rotated in one direction and little or no damping performance and only minimal resistance when rotated in an opposite direction, without the need for complex and expensive structure for engaging components.